Thursday, 8 March 2012

Vegetable and Cheese Filo Triangles

It seems logical that when you buy your child the cook book he has been asking for for ages, he will eventually want to cook something out of it. That moment arrived tonight. Also, my other son who had his cast removed from his arm today (see back-story here ), now has two fully-functioning arms again and was itching to "get his hands dirty". So we decided to make these pastries.

Imagine Calzone and Spanikopita meet, fall in love and have a child, that's what these pastries are - Calzopita. These are a mild version of both. To be honest, next time I, I mean we, will add less mozzarella and a little more vegetables and seasoning (we lean more toward the Spanikopita side of things). But if you have kids who like cheesy pastry, you're on a winner here. Let's face it, wrap anything in pastry and you're making friends, am I right?

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add leek, stirring for 5 minutes or until leek is soft. Add garlic and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until zucchinis are soft. Add spinach and herbs and cook for 1 minute or until spinach begins to wilt. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander. Cool. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, cheeses and egg. Season with salrt and pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Brush a sheet of filo with butter, then top with another sheet. Fold pastry in half lengthwise. Place 1/2 cup of filling at one end of the pastry strip. Fold one corner over the filling to form a triangle, then continue folding the triangle until you reach the end of the pastry. Brush triangles with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place on a paper-lined baking tray. Repeat with the remaining butter, pastry and filling, then bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden.